One morning, I saw Luz and King doing pull-ups with Owlbert in the front yard. "What the fuck is happening right now?" I asked. "Are you leading a boot camp?" "I'm getting King ready to meet his dad." Luz explains. "King, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you meet your dad?" "And 10,000!" King grunted. "Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closet, that's for sure. Then I'm gonna ugly cry. Hard!" "Have you told Eda about your decision to le..." I wondered before being shushed by King. All of a sudden, we heard the window shut. "I'm not ready yet. I'm not sure how she'll react." King confessed. "Well, you should tell her eventually." I said. To be honest, I'm also wondering if I should stay with Eda and leave my uncle to live on the Isles. Permanently.

Eda's POV

While the kids were outside doing who knows what, I turned on the news on my scroll. "And we're back live at the emperor's castle." The reporter said. "In light of Scooter Crane's retirement, today's ceremony will confirm Raine Whispers as the next head of the Bard Coven." "Do I have to be on camera?" I heard them ask. "For Titan's sake, just say something." Darius of the Abomination Coven complained. "Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the Day of Uni-bee." Raine said. "I mean, Uni-ly. I mean... Oh, no. This is going all wrong. Get me out of here!" "Just cut the feed." Darius groaned as Raine ran offstage. "How are you supposed to be Head Bard with stage fright?" I wondered as the kids came back inside. "I'm sorry, Luz." King apologized. "It's okay, buddy." Luz replied. "Hey, Eda. Got another backpack we can borrow? This one got a little thrown-up in." Peter asked. "Closet." I replied. "So, why are you suddenly so interested in flying? Did you give up on returning to the human realm? I mean, I suppose you can stay here a little longer." "Oh, no. I don't know about Peter, but I'm still going home, but we keep running into some setbacks." Luz explains. "I was able to get the mouse back safely, but he needs to recover." "In the meantime, this weekend is the Gland Prix!" King announced. "Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm students race to win glory, and honor." Peter explains. "And fame!" King added. "Winners also get an interview with the Boiling Isles News! Do you realize what this means?" "We're gonna enter the competition and get King on camera to send a message to his dad!" Luz announced. "Oh, that's... great." I smiled, trying so hard to hide my true feelings. "But, uh... There's something I'd like to talk to you about first." King said. "You see, I think it's time for me to le..." "Leave the talking for later." I interrupted. "If you wanna win, there's no time for talk. You gotta go practice. Now!" "Wanna head back out while your tummy's empty?" Luz asked King. "Okay!" King replied. "Let's go!" Luz exclaimed. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up." Peter said, turning back towards me. "Something's wrong. Can we talk about it, Mom?" "Nothing's wrong with me, kiddo." I lied. "Your lies won't work on me." Peter said. "You sound like your father." I commented. "Is this about King?" Peter asked. "Actually, it's about all of you." I explained. "All of you are gonna leave me eventually. King's looking for his dad, and you're returning to the human realm with Luz." "To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm doing." Peter confessed. "I haven't even told this to Luz. As much as I miss my friends and sometimes even my shitty uncle on Earth, I couldn't just abandon you, my friends here, or even Willow." "Thanks, kid." I said. "But remember, this is your decision to make." Peter kissed my forehead and left the house with Luz and King.

I decided to go to the only place where I could feel relaxed, the pub. I ordered an apple blood and drank my feelings. Or, at least, I tried to. "I just don't wanna hear him say it, you know?" I confessed to the bartender. "I was finally getting used to having people in the house, then whoosh! Rug's ripped out from underneath me." "Sure, I get it. It's like every time you come in here, I think, maybe she'll pay her tab this time." He replied. All of a sudden, I see some guards from the Emperor's Coven capturing a wild witch. "Don't worry, citizens." Steve the guard said. "We are helping this wild witch find her place in society." "Throw it on my tab, Kevin." I said, bursting out of the pub. "Let her go!" "Back off, Owl Lady!" Steve shouted. "Yeah, no coven wants a powerless witch." Warden Wrath added as I punched him in the face. "How's that for powerless?" I asked. As he was about to cast a spell, the circle suddenly disappeared. I heard music coming from the Bard Coven, trying to protect me. "Look at the Emperor's lackeys, trying to, uh... do I really have to say this." Their leader asked. "We all agreed on the script." The bard replied. "Trying to... mute the music of our hearts?" The leader wondered, who's voice I recognized. "And weaken magic, by forcing witches into covens against their will. That's right, Bonesborough. They take your magic. They restrict your knowledge. They say they do it in the name of unity, but what they really want is control! You know what we say to that, folks? Shove off!" Raine used their violin to take control of the scouts. "Who are you hewoes?" Tiny Nose asked. "We are the Bards Against the Throne, aka..." Raine said. "Surrounded!" Warden Wrath interrupted. I was able to help the bards escape in the sewers.

We finally reached the end of the sewers for our escape. "End of the line, folks." I said. "Word of advice. Next time you put on a performance like that, make sure you have an exit strategy." "Thank you. How could we ever repay you?" One of the bard witches asked. "Well, you could let me join your little team." I suggested. "Hey, I may not have magic, but I am an agent of chaos." "Sorry, we're not accepting new members." Raine declined. "Is that any way to treat an old friend, Raine Whispers?" I asked. "So, the head of the Bard Coven likes pretending to be a rebel. Too bad they're not very good at it." "Eda! You're embarrassing me in front of my crew." Raine blushed. "Hey. It's alright, everyone. The Owl Lady is an old friend." "Nice to see you again." The girl from the Conformatorium greeted. "Is she gonna join our group?" A male bard asked. "She doesn't seem like a good fit to me." Another bard said. "Actually, she's the one that inspired me to make the group." Raine explains. "It was a while ago. I thought you were just joking around. I only learned what it meant when I started teaching for the Bard Coven. The emperor prioritized recruitment through force. And anyone who refused to fall in line disappeared. Well, I wasn't going to stand for that! So I took matters into my own hands. I carefully moved up the ranks, and I found people who wanted to change things, like me. And that's when we formed the Bards Against the Throne, aka..." "The BATTS" Raine's crew added. "Hey, if you got nothing to lose, we could use the extra help." Raine offered as I took their hand.

Peter's POV

Throughout the week, I continued training with Luz and King for the race. "Alright, team. The Gland Prix is the day after tomorrow." Luz recalled. "Are you ready?" "Luz." I said. "Hell yeah." "I, uh, got the jitters." King replied. "And I still haven't been able to talk to Eda." "Don't worry. She's just been busy this week." I explained. "You've always got Uncle Hooty's shoulder to lean on." Hooty said. "You don't have any shoulders!" King shouted. "Lean on me!" Hooty yelled as Eda came outside to leave. "Eda, King's still wanting to talk to you." Luz explains. "Uh, maybe later." Eda said. "Okay, well, maybe at the race?" I wondered. "I'll be there." Eda explains. "I promise."

Eda's POV

"Well, there you have it. Homemade maps of every nook and cranny in the city." I presented to the crew. "Okay, here's the situation. Emperor Belos wants every wild witch in a coven before the Day of Unity." Raine explains. "He's trying to steal as much magic as possible." One of the witches added. "We don't know why." "Right now, we're just focused on helping those he's captured." Raine continued. "And the next raids take place here, here, and here." "At the same time? What do we do?" The girl asked. "Don't worry, kids." I replied. "Mama's got a plan." "You're not our mom!" The other girl complained. Jokes on her. I am a mother. "As the first team is rounding up witches on Hackson Road, Amber will sneak in and take them out. Before anyone calls for help, Derwin and Katya will distract the second team by Skinford Avenue. That's where Raine comes in." I explained. "As long as I don't have to make any more speeches." Raine said. "And if everything goes well, I'll be guiding the escapees outside of Bonesborough. Belos has less reach outside the cities." I continued.

Our plan was successful, but it did take all night. "We did it!" Amber cheered. "We actually helped people this time." "Rainstorm." I greeted. "Haven't heard that in a minute." Raine said. "Oh, you've gotten so strong." I complimented. "It's incredible. But how'd you become Head Bard with your stage fright?" "I'm just that good." Raine replied. "What about you? Do you still know any Bard spells?" "Well, you remember the curse. It messes with my magic." I explained. Raine used their magic to summon a mandolin. "How'd you become the Owl Lady with your stage fright?" Raine asked. "Alright. You asked for this." I sighed, playing the mandolin. However, my curse caused a lot of stuff to decay. "Raine's Rhapsody? More like Eda's Requiem. I'll leave the playing to the professionals. Call if you need me." "Bye, Mama Eda!" Amber said as I headed out.

Peter's POV

Today was the day of the race. Luz and I got into uniform as Eda came to see us. "Eda, we're so glad you made it." Luz said. "Thanks for coming, Mom." I added as she smiled. "I, uh, would really like to tell you before the race starts." King explains. "Well, if it's so important, we can talk about it after the race... when you win, okay?" Eda asked. "Uh, yeah. Okay." King replied. "Welcome everyone, to the Gland Prix!" Mr Porter announced, although, Gus looked like he was annoyed by his father. "Contestants will fly down the right arm to the Cubital Valley. They use speed, cunning, and magic to race to the checkpoint and back to the finish line. Winners will get their names etched on the cup of Ephemeral Glory. And an on-camera interview seen by everyone watching across the Isles! On your marks, get set." That's when the trophy screamed as the race started. "Let's win this thing." I said to my teammates.

Eda's POV

Barely a few minutes into the race, I got a call from the BATTS. "Raine?" I asked. "We got a tip about another raid." Raine explains. "I know you're busy, but..." "No, it's fine. I'm on my way." I interrupted, leaving the bleachers.

"This is the spot." Raine said, playing chords on the violin. "Something isn't right." All of a sudden, Amber, Derwin, and Katya were captured by someone's abomination spell. "It's Head Witches Eberwolf and Darius!" Raine gasped. "So, that means..." I wondered. "We fell for their trap." Raine said as Darius sends them to the Conformatorium. "I was scheduled for some me-time today, so hand yourself over before things get nasty!" Darius snapped. I used one of the glyphs to hide from him and Eberwolf. "I'm so glad I remembered how to do that." I gasped for air. "Eda, Belos's plans are a lot more dangerous than I let on." Raine explains. "He's preparing some big spells for the Day of Unity. But he can't do that without every head witch. If we can take out Darius and Eberwolf..." "Say no more, Rainstorm. What's the plan?" I asked as the mandolin appeared in my hands. "You say your curse messes with magic. I think I can make that work in our favor."

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As Darius and Eberwolf fell for our trap, it was time for Raine and I to cast the spell. As I started playing, everything surrounding us was affected by the curse. Both Eberwolf and Darius were powerless, but so were me and Raine. "It's working. Keep playing." I said. "Look. We might not make it out ourselves." Raine explains. "But it'll stop the emperor, right?" I asked. "Then we play on." "Eda. Do you have kids?!" Raine gasped. I stopped playing as they were looking at the Grom picture of Luz, Peter, King, and I. "Well, they're not "mine" mine. Actually, one of them is actually mine." I sighed. "It doesn't matter. All of them have real families to return to." "I don't know what you're running from, but a great witch once told me something about punching fears in the face." Raine said, stopping the spell. "What I'm trying to say is, don't give up so easily. They probably need you more than you realize. We can find another way to stop Belos, together." All of a sudden, Darius grabbed us with his abomination powers. I was struggling to hold on to Raine. "Raine, don't." I cried. "Go. You know I can't stand an audience." Raine said. While they were fighting Darius, I ran back to the race, for my kids.

Peter's POV

Luz and I finally crossed the finish line, ending up in 5th place. "Shit!" I cursed. "What's wrong?" Luz asked. "I got mud on my boots." I replied, noticing my mom in front of us. "Hey, Eda." "You were flying like the dang wind. What happened?" Eda asked. "We were winning for a while, but, King threw up. And then, we crashed." "It's okay." King sighed. "I'll just throw my message in the garbage where it belongs." "No. This isn't over." Eda said, pulling up her Penstagram account and hits record. "Eda, who's even gonna watch this?" King asked. "No one watches crystal balls anymore." Eda replied. "It's all about streaming." "Alright." King said, clearing his throat to read the message to his dad. "Hi, Dad. If you're out there watching this, I, uh, wanna introduce myself. I like cheesy foods and conquering kingdoms. Though, I haven't conquered any of my own yet. But, maybe you have, and we can compare notes. I'd love to meet ya. We can do parent-kid stuff. Toss a ball, burn some cookies, catch me going on weird websites or something. Also, I found this symbol in the tower I hatched in. Maybe you can teach me to read it? I live with my favorite human, a hybrid, and a cranky old witch. But, cranky or not, she's the one who raised me. Which is why I'm legally changing my name to King Clawthorne! Surprise, Eda! Now we're connected for life and there's nothing you can do about it." "Is that what you wanted to tell me this whole time?!" Eda cried. "And, if you sign here, it'll be official." Luz said. Eda was still crying, but she signed the document, officially making me an older brother. "Hug me, brother!" I exclaimed. "I have a brother!" King giggled.